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Dr Stephen Lissenburgh
Dr Stephen Lissenburgh was an economist and social scientist (b 30 April 1964 - d 26 December 2004). Born in East London, the son of a lorry driver, Steve grew up on the Jack Cornwall Estate in Manor Park, attending Little Ilford Comprehensive School between 1975 - 1982. As a popular student in a tough environment, he was placed on the school's 'Gifted & Talented' scheme and duly progressed to Girton College, Cambridge where he studied Economics, met his future wife (economist https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonali_Deraniyagala) and attempted to throw a bag of flour at then Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher during a visit to the university.

Graduating, he ignored overtures from the City, choosing instead a period teaching in inner-city senior schools before taking a Master's degree in Industrial Relations at Warwick, then returning to Cambridge for his Phd doctorate in Economics. He then forged an increasingly influential career in economic related social research at the Policy Studies Institute from 1994 to 2004, interspersed by 2 years at the Institute for Public Policy Research. At the PSI he rose from the basic research grade to hold the post of Head of the Employment Group. Early work on equality for part-time workers is recognized as influencing New Labour thinking as they came to power in 1997 and he continued in the spectrum of society's disadvantaged producing numerous research publications particularly in relation to women, young people and immigrant communities. He was considered to be a leading figure in his field at the time of his tragically early death.

Holidaying with his wife's family in their native Sri Lanka, Steve, their young sons Vikram and Nikhil, and Sonali's parents were all victims of the Boxing Day 2004 Tsunami that devastated large parts of the Indian Ocean coast lines. Sonali was the only survivor and she details her harrowing story in the book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_(Deraniyagala_book).